Sure, you could have a glass of wine or beer with your meal but next time, consider a cocktail. Here, rising star mixologists featured in Food & Wine Cocktails 2015 (on sale now) share their favorite, sometimes unexpected and oddly specific, food and cocktail combinations.

A well-stocked summer bar should include a wide array of fruits like lemons, limes, grapefruit and watermelon. But it should also include one vegetable: the cucumber. Naturally cooling with a light and pleasant sweetness, cucumber is an incredible and often overlooked ingredient for some of the best, most refreshing summer cocktails. Here, eight drinks to make with the super-cool cucumber.

It’s National Piña Colada Day! So kick back with a homemade version of the tropical, frothy, boozy cocktail (preferably poured into a hurricane glass) and read up on some fun facts about everyone’s favorite vacation cocktail.